How to Fill Out and Submit ATF Form 5320.20 to Transport NFA Firearms

ATF Form 5320.20 is the application you file with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to get written permission to move a registered NFA firearm across state lines or temporarily out of the country. There is no filing fee. The fastest way to submit it is through the eForms portal at eforms.atf.gov, where approvals currently average about two days; paper submissions run closer to eight.¹ You need the approval in hand before you travel.

Which NFA Firearms Need an Approved Form

Federal law under 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(4) makes it a crime to transport four specific categories of NFA firearms in interstate commerce without prior written ATF authorization: machine guns, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and destructive devices.² The implementing regulation at 27 CFR § 478.28 lists the same four types.³

Silencers and items classified as Any Other Weapons are not on that list, so an approved 5320.20 is not legally required to take them across state lines. Some owners file anyway as a convenience during traffic stops or range checks, and ATF recommends filing for permanent moves so registry addresses stay current, but the statute does not require it for these two categories.

Skipping the form when it is required is a federal felony punishable by up to five years in prison, a fine, or both under 18 U.S.C. § 924(a)(1)(B).⁴

What to Have Ready Before You Open the Form

Pulling this information together before you start saves a rejection and a second filing.⁵

The registered owner’s full legal name and address exactly as they appear on the NFA registration. If the item is registered to a trust or corporation, use the entity’s name and address.
The firearm’s manufacturer, type, caliber or gauge, model, barrel length, overall length, and serial number. Every entry has to match the original registration. A single wrong digit in the serial number can trigger a rejection.
Departure and return dates. Temporary transport cannot exceed one year.
The full destination address where the firearm will be kept.
A specific reason for the trip: a named competition, a hunting property, a job relocation. Vague answers like “personal use” invite follow-up or denial.
How the firearm will travel. If a common or contract carrier is moving it, you need the carrier’s name and address.

Filling In the Fields That Trip People Up

The form is one page. Item 1 identifies the registered owner and includes checkboxes for individual, trust, corporation, or other entity. Pick the box that matches your registration paperwork, not the person driving.

Item 3 handles dates. On a temporary trip, enter the first day the firearm leaves its registered location and the last day it is back. On a permanent move, use the transit dates. If plans slip and you cannot return the firearm before the approved end date, file a new 5320.20 before the old one expires. There is no extension or amendment process for an existing approval.

Item 4 is the firearm description. Fill every sub-field. If you are moving more than one covered NFA firearm, each one needs its own separate form.

Item 13 is where the owner signs, in ink. Every other entry should be printed in ink or typed. When the item is registered to a trust, the form does not specify which trustee signs; the practical approach is to have the trustee physically transporting the firearm sign as the registered owner’s representative.

Read the certification block above the signature before you sign. You are certifying that the trip does not involve a transfer of title, that possession at the destination is not inconsistent with state law there, and that you will comply with all applicable state and local rules.⁵

How to Submit the Form

You have three channels, and they are not equivalent.

eForms

ATF’s eForms portal accepts Form 20 electronically. Accounts are free to create.⁶ Recent processing data puts eForms turnaround at about two days.¹ For most owners this is the right choice.

Email or Fax

Scan a completed paper form and email it to NFAFax@atf.gov, or fax both copies to the NFA Division at (304) 616-4501.⁵ Paper submissions average about eight days.¹

Mail

Print and complete two copies and mail both to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, 244 Needy Road, Martinsburg, WV 25405, Attention: NFA Division.⁵ Mail follows the paper timeline and adds transit both ways.

To check status on a pending application, email ipb@atf.gov with your form details.⁶

What the Approval Does and Does Not Do

Once approved, the form comes back stamped and signed. Digital or paper, keep it with the firearm during transport and for the entire time the item is at the destination. The approval covers only the specific dates, destination, and firearm listed on the form.⁵ If dates change or the trip is canceled, notify the NFA Division so their records stay current.

An approved 5320.20 is federal authorization only. It does not override state or local law at your destination. ATF reviews applications partly on whether the proposed transport is “consistent with public safety and applicable State and local law.”³ Several states restrict or ban possession of machine guns, short-barreled rifles, or short-barreled shotguns regardless of federal registration. Confirm your specific item is legal to possess in the destination state before you file. The certification you sign says you already have.

If a Carrier Is Moving the Firearm

When you ship through a common or contract carrier rather than driving it yourself, 18 U.S.C. § 922(e) requires you to give the carrier written notice that the shipment contains a firearm.² The 5320.20 instructions go further: you must give the carrier a copy of the approved form, and that copy must stay with the shipment the whole way.⁵ The carrier cannot label the outside of the package to indicate it holds a firearm.

Permanent Moves and Trips Abroad

A permanent relocation to a new state still requires an approved 5320.20 for each covered NFA firearm before you move it. Enter the dates you will be in transit rather than a round-trip window. The one-year maximum still applies. After the move, your NFA registry records reflect the new address based on what you filed.

Taking a covered NFA firearm temporarily out of the country uses the same form, with items 10 through 12 becoming relevant. You will need your State Department export license number, the port of departure, and the port of re-entry.⁵ The certification block requires confirming compliance with temporary export license provisions under the Arms Export Control Act, so the export license has to be in hand before you file. Foreign law and customs rules at the destination country are a separate matter.

A Pending Rule Change

ATF has published a notice of proposed rulemaking (RIN 1140-AA89) that would loosen this process. Under the proposal, short-term transport of 365 days or fewer would no longer require advance approval, and long-term moves would require notice but not pre-approval.⁷ As of mid-2026 the rule is not final. Until it is, the advance written authorization requirement remains fully in effect, and filing Form 5320.20 before you travel is still the only lawful path.

1
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Current Processing Times
2
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 922 – Unlawful Acts
3
eCFR. 27 CFR 478.28 – Transportation of Destructive Devices and Certain Firearms
4
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 924 – Penalties
5
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. ATF Form 5320.20 – Application to Transport Interstate or to Temporarily Export Certain NFA Firearms
6
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. eForms Applications
7
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Reduce Burden